This application is based on and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7119 with respect to Japanese Application No. 10(1998)-340536 filed on Nov. 30, 1998, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention generally relates to door control equipment. More particularly, the present invention pertains to door control equipment for controlling operation of a vehicle slide door.
Recently, van-type vehicles have been provided with a slide door mounted on the rear portion of the vehicle for movement between opening and closing positions. The vehicle can be provided with a door condition detecting switch which detects whether the slide door is in the half door or half latched condition or the fully closed condition. When the door reaches the half door condition, the door condition detection switch detects this half door condition and outputs a signal to an electricity supply relay (a slide door control relay) for electrically driving the slide door. Here, the slide door control relay rotates a full lock motor and a slide door easy closer (hereinafter called a closer) which shifts the condition of the slide door from the half latch condition to the fully closed condition automatically. A manipulation switch is also mounted on the vehicle side. By manipulating the manipulating switch, the slide door is electrically driven and is automatically opened and closed. Such a slide door is referred to as an electrically operated slide door and is disclosed on pages 53-62 of a manual for a new type car called Granvia (published by Toyota Co., Ltd., In August 1995).
In this electrically operated slide door, to change over between the manual operation and the automatic driving operation of the slide door, a clutch mechanism for connecting or interrupting the power transmission path is interposed in the power transmission system between the slide door motor and the slide door. When the slide door is electrically driven, the clutch of the clutch mechanism is connected. In such a device, the power of the slide door motor is transmitted to a magnetic clutch, a roller pulley and a rubber roller by way of a motor belt and upon rotation of the rubber roller, the slide door is moved and slides along the guide rails mounted on a side body of the vehicle.
In shifting the operation from the slide operation to the closer operation by the electrically operated driving of the slide door, the slide door condition (i.e., whether the slide door is in the fully closed or full latch condition or whether the door is in the half door or half latch condition) is detected and the slide door is then moved in a closing direction to the half latch condition by the slide movement. A signal indicating the half latch condition is used as a trigger to turn off the slide motor provided for the slide operation. Thereafter, the closer is operated to completely close the slide door by the closer operation.
However, in case the slide door is moved to the half latch condition or half door condition with the power of the motor for driving the slide door, when the slide motor is operated and its power is decelerated by the drive mechanism and the large slide door is to be moved, it is necessary to move the slide door to the half latch position. Therefore, in case the slide door is moved by pushing by means of the drive mechanism, a motor having a large torque becomes necessary, thus requiring a relatively large and expensive motor.
In addition, at the time of closing the slide door, it is necessary to push the slide door against the repulsive or opposing force caused by the deflection of the weather strip provided at the periphery of the slide door for preventing the intrusion of wind and rain into the inside of the vehicle. Thus, when the slide door is pushed into a position close to the fully closed position, the driving force is correspondingly increased by this force so that the slide door must be structurally stronger.
In light of the foregoing, a need exists for a door control mechanism that provides a smooth shifting of operation from the slide operation to the closer operation during the door closing operation without increasing the size of the motor. A need also exists for a door control mechanism that provides a smooth shifting of operation from the slide operation to the closer operation during the door closing operation without the need for strengthening the drive medium of the door as compared to conventional equipment.
According to one aspect of the invention, a door control device for controlling movement operation of a door includes a motor, a clutch mechanism interposed between the door and the motor for transmitting output from the motor under driving operation to the door to move the door, a closer operable under a closer operation for shifting the door from a half door condition to a fully closed condition, a connecting mechanism for establishing a connection to supply electricity to the closer from right before the half door condition to the fully closed condition, and a door condition detector for detecting whether the door is in the half door condition or in the fully closed condition based on output from the connecting mechanism. When a connection signal is outputted during a door closing operation of the door, the closer operation is started and upon the door being moved a given distance, the driving operation of the motor connected to the clutch mechanism is stopped.
By virtue of this construction, if the connection signal is outputted from the connection mechanism which establishes the connection from right before the half door condition to the fully closed condition, the closer operation is started so that the door drive operation due to the clutch connection and the closer operation can be overlapped. Hence, when the connection signal is outputted from the connection mechanism and the motor is stopped when the door is moved a given distance, the closer can be operated from right before the half door condition.
For example, in the case of a slide door of a vehicle in which the slide door is moved by pushing by way of a drive mechanism ,the deflection of the weather strip can be held small in this condition so that the repulsive force also can be made small. Accordingly, the force necessary for moving the slide door can be reduced by the pushing force against the repulsive force of the weather strip. Furthermore, since it is no longer necessary to move the slide door to the half door condition by the slide operation, the motor which moves the slide door by pushing can be made relatively small in size compared to the motor used in other known devices of this type.
When the output of the door condition detection mechanism indicates the half door condition, the clutch connection of the clutch mechanism is interrupted, and when the door is moved to the fully closed condition, the closer operation is stopped so that the door can be transferred to the closer as fast as possible, so that the motor connected with the clutch mechanism can be stopped earlier, and so that the shifting of operation from the slide operation to the closer operation can be smoothly performed, thus enabling the miniaturization of the motor and the lowering of the required electric current. Furthermore, it is unnecessary to make the drive mechanism as strong as is the case with other known drive mechanisms.
According to another aspect of the invention, a door control device for controlling movement operation of a door includes a slide door mounted on a lateral side of a vehicle body for movement in a lengthwise direction of the vehicle body between a fully open position and a fully closed position, a drive device operatively associated with the slide door, a clutch mechanism for alternatively establishing and interrupting a coupling between the slide door and the drive device, a closer operable under a closer operation for shifting the sliding door from a half latch condition to a fully latched condition, and a mechanism for establishing a connection to supply electricity to the closer from right before the half latched condition to the fully latched condition and for outputting a connection signal. A door condition detector detects whether the sliding door is in the half latched condition, whereby upon output of the connection signal during a slide door closing operation, the closer operation is started and upon movement of the sliding door by a predetermined distance, operation of the driving device is stopped.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a door control device for controlling movement operation of a door includes a slide door mounted on a lateral side of a vehicle body for movement in a lengthwise direction of the vehicle body between a fully open position and a fully closed position, a drive device operatively associated with the slide door, a clutch mechanism for alternatively establishing and interrupting a coupling between the slide door and the drive device, a closer operable under a closer operation for shifting the sliding door from a half latch condition to a fully latched condition, and a mechanism for establishing a connection to supply electricity to the closer from right before the half latched condition to the fully latched condition and for outputting a connection signal. A door condition detector outputs signals indicating that the sliding door is in the half latched condition and the full latched condition so that upon output of the signal from the door condition detector indicating the half latched condition of the slide door, the closer operation of the closer occurs and a clutch connection between the clutch mechanism and the driving device is interrupted, and upon output of the signal from the door condition detector indicating the fully latched condition of the slide door, the closer operation is stopped.